Kaleen

The Kaleen Plaza Group Centre is located in the north of the suburb of Kaleen just off Baldwin Drive, one kilometre from the Giralang shopping centre. It is situated on Maribyrnong Avenue and bounded by Georgina Crescent. The shops hide behind car parks bordering Maribyrnong Avenue which provide a buffer to the surrounding houses.

The main view on entering is of blank walls or “inactive shopfronts” as shown in these photographs. An attempt has been made to give an appearance of activity along the blank wall of the supermarket by adding a verandah but it is not very effective.

To the rear of this wall, at the end of the road above, are some genuinely active shopfronts, however, their location puts them out of sight and out of mind (see photograph on right). Consequently, they are occupied by a real estate agent and a doctor’s surgery. They are accessed from Georgina Crescent which circles the shopping centre.

The rear of the shopping centre is the main delivery area which is relatively secluded from general activity. Across from it is another major parking area servicing a club.

The poor condition of the asphalt indicates that this is a service road – Georgina Crescent runs behind the club.

On the outer side of Georgina Crescent are two churches and the Kaleen Sports Centre, as well as some low density housing.

On the corner at the far end of the service road is a liquor store. This is one shop that does open to the outside of the centre but it does not enhance the external appearance of the centre nor the streetscape.

There are three entrances to the centre. All three entrances have some apparently “active shopfronts” but the shops are mainly accessed from inside the centre and not from outside.

At right is an approach to the rear entrance which exemplifies the deserted ‘active’ shopfronts.

The second entrance (right) has a plaza area that is rather inhospitable. To each side are supposedly “active shopfronts” but there is little sign of activity (below).